Escaflowne: Return to Gaea
by Cendra
Summary: This story is set one year after the conclusion of the Escaflowne Series. Van and Hitomi are reunited, but it seems as though fate would have it otherwise. As the story progresses, there's more action (even another war!) and lots of suspense. PLEASE RE


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Escaflowne: Return To Gaea

Chapter One

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Van's Decision

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Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne, the characters or places depicted within. This story is written solely for entertainment purposes, and no money is involved in anyway. I hope that everyone that reads this will enjoy it!

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"Kanzaki!"

"Huh?" Hitomi Kanzaki shook her head and broke out of her trance. The track coach was staring at her, his clipboard in his hand.

"Let's go! You're up!" he growled. "Kids, they never pay attention these days…."

Hitomi sighed and go up off the metal bench, walking steadily towards the starting blocks.

"You can do it, Hitomi!" Yukari, her best friend, yelled excitedly from the sidelines. Standing beside her was the old track captain.

"Come on, Kanzaki. Focus everything," Amano yelled, giving Hitomi a thumbs up while at the same time putting a gentle hand on Yukari's shoulder. Hitomi sighed again. Seeing them, together, made her miss Van more than ever.

It had been almost one year exactly since she had seen him last. Amano had graduated and come back from England, where his father had been working. He and Yukari were a cute couple, Hitomi had to admit that. But ….

"Ready!" the coach yelled. Hitomi put her attention to the race. She had to focus. Focus everything on…Van. No! On the race! She couldn't think about Van. Not anymore. But it had been right here where she had first met him….

"Set!" the coach's voice boomed aloud. Hitomi shook her head. _I'm ready_, she though. "GO!"

Hitomi burst from the starting block, all her frustrations and confusion forgotten while whe ran. Suddenly, just a little way in front of her, a blue pillar of light fell from the sky….

"No…no!" Hitomi thought and closed her eyes, but increased her speed. "It's just my mind playing tricks on me. I can't let it fool me." She exploded through the pillar and kept running. Nothing had happened. It had just been an illusion. Hitomi let out a small sigh of relief. She was glad that it wasn't real—and yet, she was also a little disappointed. She crossed the finish line and keeled over for loss of breath. Yukari clicked the stopwatch and gasped.

"Hitomi! 12.7 seconds!" she screamed and ran out to her friend. "You beat 13 seconds, Hitomi!" Yukari grabbed Hitomi and hugged her as fiercely as she could until Hitomi singled for air.

"I—I did it!" Hitomi gasped, and smiled. _I guess all that running I did in Gaea paid off…._

"Good job Kanzaki," the coach said and slapped the girl on the back. "What'd you think, Susumu?"

"I think she did great," Amano said and beamed at her. Hitomi blinked and looked at Amano's face.

"Allen…" she whispered thoughtfully and clutched her pendant. Maybe she didn't love Allen, but he was still her friend, and she missed _him,_ too.

"Hitomi? Are you okay? You don't look very good," Yukari asked and put Hitmoi's arm around her shoulder to support her. Hitomi nodded.

"I'll be fine, Yukari," Hitomi assured her friend and, after pushing Yukari's help away to prove she was alright, began to leave.

"Kanzaki! Where are you going?" the coach yelled after her.

"I just thought that—that because I was done with practice today, I could leave so I could get some rest," she said innocently. The coach sighed, then nodded, grumbling.

"Kids these days, always doing what they please…no respect!"

***

"Hitomi, what's wrong?" Mrs. Kanzaki asked at dinner that night. Hitomi blinked. She had been playing with her food.

"Nothing," she said quickly. Her mother sighed.

"You know, you can tell me anything." Hitomi nodded.

"Mom?" she asked. Mrs. Kanzaki smiled broadly at her daughter, expecting her to open up a little bit. "May I be excused?"

"Sure, sweetie," Mrs. Kanzaki replied with disappointment. Hitomi left, deep in thought. Slowly, Mrs. Kanzaki turned her daughter's plate to face her. "Huh?" Hitomi had drawn a face, a boy with black hair's face, in her food. _Why?_

***

"Van-sama," Merle nudged Van in the back and curled up next to him on the roof. She licked his hand gently and he patted her on the head.

"Hello, Merle," he said. Merle's ears twitched. There was a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Are you thinking about her?" she asked quietly. She knew better than to say Hitomi's name…it would only make Van sadder. Van said nothing; he just stared at the Mystic Moon. Merle sighed. He was doing so well in not showing how much he missed her. It was almost like he was his old self sometimes.

"Van?" a girl asked from the window below the eves of the roof. "Is that you up there?" Celena, Allen's sister (a.k.a. Dilandau), was looking upwards towards the roof, hanging over the rim of the window. Her face was illuminated by her wide smile. Van smiled back, although it wasn't quite as bright as it had been when Hitomi was around.

"Hello Celena," Van called down and waved to her. Merle rolled her eyes. Celena had no idea what Van was going through…and Van had no intention of letting her know, either.

"Come on down, Van," Celena yelled up at him, "you too, Merle! I've got a message to deliver." Merle jumped down with her cat-like grace and sat on the windowsill, waiting for her master. In a few moments, Van had joined Merle and Celena in the castle.

"Van," Celena said as the trio walked down the halls of the Fanelian castle, "Allen wanted to talk to you, although I'm not sure about what. He didn't tell me." Merle trailed the other two, sulking ever so slightly. Ever since Allen and Celena had come to "visit" with Van, Merle could hardly ever find time to be alone with him—although, she rarely had time to be alone with him when Allen and Celena _weren't_ there. He was always so busy with being a king. That, or he was moping about Hitomi.

"Where is Allen?" Van asked the girl next to him. Her blue eyes were radiant, and her soft silver hair outlined her small, pale face. She smiled at him and pointed to a room just down the hall.

"He's in there," she said needlessly, as if to confirm her action. Merle rolled her eyes. _Dumb blonde_, she thought and began to follow Van through the door that Celena was now holding open, the company having reached it. She grabbed the scruff of Merle's collar and held her back.

"Hey! Let me go!" Merle squealed, but Celena ignored her and, after waving goodbye to Van, pulled Merle down the hall and closed the door.

"Allen wanted to talk to him alone!" Celena said to Merle, her hands on her hips. Merle scrambled across the hall and crossed her arms in a sulking manner. Then, she stuck out her tongue just before starting to clean herself.

"Humph!" Celena sighed and walked away from the egotistical cat-girl. "Dumb cat," she whispered as she walked away. Merle continued to just sit there, licking herself contentedly.

Van blushed as Celena closed the door. A half-smile crept across his face. Just then, a hand fell gently on his shoulder.

"Van…it's easy for you to see Hitomi in her, isn't it?"

"Allen!" Van exclaimed and spun around to face the knight. Allen was smiling at Van, but Van could sense a little sadness in his grin. "Is—is something wrong?" Van stuttered, trying to cover up his embarrassment.

"Ah," Allen sighed and leaned against the wall, "I knew you would notice." For a moment, he said nothing, lost in deep thought. Suddenly, he seemed to recall that Van was present and Allen shook the thoughts from his head, attempting to smile casually. "Dryden came back," was all he said. Van nodded with understanding. Allen had been seeing Millerna for a while since Dryden had left.

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I guess Millerna loved Dryden more than she thought, Van said to himself, _Poor Allen._

"Anyway, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about," Allen said and put his problem aside. Van decided not to pursue the matter at the moment. "What I wanted to talk to you about is Hitomi." Van jumped. Allen hadn't said much about Hitomi since she had left almost a year ago. "Merle came and talked to me a few days ago. She had no idea that I was going to do this and she asked me not to tell you that I talked to her, but I felt that you should hear what she had to say. I'm deeply sorry for betraying her trust." Van sat down in a chair next to Allen. He hadn't said much about Hitomi, either—why was Allen bringing her up now?

"Merle told me that you've been thinking about her a lot," Allen continued. "She says that you aren't that same without her. It is my duty as a knight, and as a friend, to help the King of Fanelia if I can." Van sat perfectly still in his chair, trying to absorb everything. Was there a way to be with Hitomi and not make her upset?

"I've had an idea, Van. It wouldn't be a permanent solution, but if I could help you even a little, I will. I know how it feels to be taken away from the one you love." He smiled at Van, sad though it was, and watched his reaction carefully.

"Tell me. I'm listening," Van assured Allen, who continued.

"She needs to be at home, so no one worries about her. Besides, I'm not sure she wants to come back yet. But—" he hesitated, and Van perked up impatiently, "what if you were to go to her? You know, stay with her for a little while."

Van seemed outraged. "But I can't! I need to stay here, in Fanelia! I'm the king…I can't just leave!" he protested, trying to find some glitch in the plan. It sounded too good, too simple, to be true.

"I thought of that. I could stay here for a time. Even a king needs a vacation," Allen said. Catching the look of doubt that passed over Van's face, he added, "You do trust me, don't you?"

"Of course I do, it's just—" Van stuttered, but was cut short by the knight's firm and understanding voice.

"Van, listen to me. You miss her very much. I can be a big help with the rest of the rebuilding! You've done so much for Fanelia in such a short time, and you really need to take a break; you should be with her."

Van could find nothing to say. He just sat there, thinking that maybe, by some miracle, he could be with Hitomi again. Finally, he stood up, determined.

"I'll—I'll do it!" 

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Chapter One Summary: Hitomi and Van are finally feeling the effects of their loneliness after parting at the end of the series. One year later, both are lost and dazed, always thinking of each other…but what can be done to ease their pain? With Allen's help, Van forms a plan….

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Coming Soon! 

Chapter Two (Still Untitled)

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Do you want more? If so, please **REVIEW** this story! Your critiques are what allow me to improve my writing and also make me write faster. Any reviews are much appreciated!


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